12 Legit Ways to Make Money Online in Kenya - Mike

In this guide, we’ll show you the real, legit ways people are earning money online in Kenya. No false promises or fairytales. With examples of real Kenyans doing it, including tips from MESHERS.

💡 If you’re not a member yet – hint! Join us! Get the app for free from the play store today.

Set aside 30 minutes, get a pen and paper, and be prepared to take some notes.

Ready?

Let's go!

Tuanze na na the no-experience-necessary hustles na side gigs. Unaeza anza many of these adi leo, with just a phone, laptop, and a few shillings.

But starting is easy. Keeping going is what will make you money.

Funza ngoso au kilami to international learners kwa platforms ka italki or funza Swa to wale wasee wanakam Kenya, wanaitwa expats. You can find expats in Facebook groups like Nairobi Expat Social.

Na si Kilami ama Swa pekee unaeza funza, online tutoring on topics like reading, math, and even singing, is also taking off across Kenya.

Unajua vile wakenya wengi hutafuta majobs right? Now imagine hiyo market yote ywa wasee wanadai kuandikiwa ama hata ku-editiwa CV. Help Kenyan jobseekers improve their chances of success with a better CV (but make sure they know it’s still not a guarantee they’ll get work). Unaeza pia offer ku-design the CVs for them using Canva CV templates, many of which are free.

Saa hii, kila msee ni beginner hii story na AI. If you invest a few weeks in understanding AI, you could be the GOAT.

Here is the trick, approach small or badly managed Kenyan businesses and help them save time, money, and resources with software and AI. Learn more in this article. Here's a Foolproof Business Idea for 2024 (Automation Consulting)

Umm, ukiskia “freelancing” you probably think “freelance writing” or “academic writing.” Yeah, you can make money freelance writing – but that’s not the only skill people can pay you for.

Kuna Kenyan freelancers making money doing just about anything:

• Social media marketing

• Virtual assistance

• Graphic design

• Accounting

• Coding

• Customer support

• And much more

Freelancing ni one of our top side hustles in 2024 because it gives you flexibility, and you can start doing it in addition to another (full-time) job, college ama parenting.

Even better, unaeza freelance for local and international businesses. Imagine getting paid in USD for something you’re already doing here at home. Prezo ana-encourage wasee wafinye Lapi wapate dollar!

Tuongee ukweli lakini, most of these freelance roles require a bit of experience. Especially if you go international, competition is tough. You’ll be competing with the best in the world.

Though, remote gigs for beginners are for instance data entry ama transcription, which don’t require much experience.

So, if you’re just starting out,kama ndio una-anza, stick to freelancing for Kenyan businesses to build your basic skills and experience first.

Avoid freelance platforms ka Upwork and Fiverr for now, and ask around kwa mtaa ama social yako to see if anyone needs help.

In the MESH community we’ve got Kenyan small business owners hiring for freelance gigs all the time. If you’re not a member yet, get the app, join, and you might find your first role.

Often the best freelance gigs and remote jobs aren’t advertised publicly. Zinakuanga shared in private Facebook and Slack communities. If you want to freelance write for example, Superpath, Peak Freelance, and Remarkable Freelance Write... are the best places to find gigs – not Upwork.

5. Find a Remote Job

If you prefer a steady income, remote job inaeza kuwa better than freelancing, which is very unpredictable.

After Covid, kupata a remote job in Kenya is way easier. Businesses have adapted to the new “work from home” reality and are happy to hire from anywhere – so long as you have the skills they need.

Unafaa kunote that remote jobs need more professional experience than freelancing, mostly so employers know you can work in a (virtual) office environment. But like freelancing, you can do almost anything remotely these days.

Kuna a ton of remote job boards hiring in Kenya. Check out Dynamite Jobs and filter for Africa to get started. Rafiki.Works and CatalyzU also connect African jobseekers with international remote roles.

Platforms ka TikTok, YouTube, spotify and recently Facebook have made it easier to earn money from home by sharing your stories, expertise, advice, or random memes (yes, you can make money sharing memes).

So.. let’s get stuck in.

Where do we even begin with this one?

Let’s just say, you know your favorite Kenyan influencers. We don’t need to list them here. And you probably know some of them make serious cash through their “influencing.” But… how?

Well, influencers hu-make money in lots of ways:

• Brand partnerships

• Sponsored content

• Ads

• Selling products

• Affiliate marketing

• And much more

But becoming a successful influencer is not as easy as it seems. Ask Roy Kanyi He says “You need to hustle a long time to build an audience before you can start making money, and constantly publish valuable or entertaining content.”

There is good news, though.

You don’t need hundreds of thousands of followers to start making money. Apps kama Wowzi , Twiva and Hustlesasa offer brand partnerships to micro-influencers. This means unaeza make some money even with a thousand followers.

While the glamorous lifestyle influencers get all the attention, there are more serious influencers crushing it online – often with smaller audiences.

For inspiration, Cheki msee kama Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD). He’s not just a tech YouTuber. He’s a giant media company making US$8.5 million a year from his videos. Maybe you can do something similar for a Kenyan audience?

You’ll need a phone camera, internet, a few content ideas to get started, and a lot of hard work. For inspiration, check out how to make money on TikTok....